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Opinion

Score one for common sense. When Colorado voters approved Amendment 54 last fall, they tromped all over First Amendment political speech rights of thousands of their friends and neighbors. While on its face Amendment 54 addressed pay-to-play government contracting, it was so far-reaching and the limitations it imposed had so little nexus to specific contracts that it was too flawed to pass any reasonable constitutional muster. When Denver District Judge Catherine Lemon blocked its implementation, she said, “It’s just not a close case.”

Between Durango and Pagosa Springs is a hidden gem of Colorado history. Before prehistoric dwellings were built into the cliffs at Mesa Verde, Ancestral Puebloans created a small settlement on top of a mesa near two dramatic pillars of stone. The place is called Chimney Rock.

The Curmudgeons enthusiastically endorse the Mounsey/Campbell proposal to renovate the former Albertsons store for use as a community center, with facilities for both performing and visual arts, meeting facilities for myriad nonprofit groups, and a small convention center. This facility would be self-supporting. Nonprofit groups would pay modest rent for their use of this building, while the majority of the operating funds would come from groups outside Evergreen renting parts of the facility at market rates.

In Denver area ice hockey circles, he was known simply as “the goalie in the wheelchair.”

Kyle Stubbs and his chair stopped pucks for a lot of teams over the years: the Warthogs, the Grinders, Berserk, Spitfire, and Chimney Full of Squirrels, to name a few. And he frustrated the shooters of other teams too numerous to list.

On a recent Saturday, many of us who played with and against Kyle gathered at the Promenade in Westminster to say goodbye and to remember a man who refused to accept the limits that life imposed.

Cynics who believe that, when given a chance, politicians will take the politically expedient route were dealt a blow when Gov. Bill Ritter vetoed two priority bills of organized labor after the 2009 session of the Colorado General Assembly adjourned.

Two years ago, I got a call from my friend Mark Obmascik. Mark, a former Denver Post reporter turned author, was working on a new book, and he needed help.

His previous book, called “The Big Year,” was about hard-core birders who tried to accumulate as many species sightings as they could in 365 days. It was quirky and entertaining, and compelling enough to get me into birding myself.

Native America is not immune to modern troubles, although the advent of gaming might indicate otherwise to some. Will President Obama create the kind of change desired by the American Indian Movement? It seems he is poised to please.

That statement has been uttered by many who are trying to get someone within earshot to try harder during tough times. It probably hasn’t worked all that well, but it is a memorable phrase. The truth is that during tough times businesses often do need to get going … to new tactics.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. SB 228 certainly proves that adage in Colorado. When Gov. Bill Ritter signed the bill last week, he characterized the bill as taking a big step toward modernizing Colorado’s state budget. At the same time, Josh Penry, the Senate minority leader and a possible challenger to Ritter in next year’s governor’s race, called the bill “California-style taxing and spending.”

Greg Romberg, in his opinion article in the May 27 Canyon Courier, is correct, and I appreciate his advice and cautions. Members of the Evergreen Fire Protection District board are continually reminded by our district counsel of the very narrow reasons we can go into executive session. Since it appears as if my comments were not clearly vocalized, I will try again.

There was a time when you could market a product based on its inherent value. Lately, low price has become the predominant criteria in the marketplace. The world’s largest corporation, Walmart, shares mightily in the creation of that business ethic. The company is even benefiting during these tough economic times as it draws people in with low prices, while many say it’s Walmart that created the difficulties in the first place.

“Stop, In the Name of Love” Oops. Wrong Supremes. Stop? If you think it oh-oh-ver, isn’t this what winning the presidential election is all about? With the largest number of votes ever, President Obama has earned the privilege of nominating a Supreme Court justice.

The 2009 legislative session ended May 6. As a freshman member of the House, several people have asked me what I thought of the session. In truth, I feel a bit like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” after spinning around in the tornado and finally being dropped back into Kansas. The good news is that I live in Colorado, not Kansas. The bad news is many of the changes this legislative session will bring for the people of Colorado.

I didn’t watch much television as a kid, but I was a big fan of “Sesame Street.” When “Street” came on at 4 o’clock, I’d hold my breath waiting for Ernie and Bert. Then, at about age 5, I turned on the TV, and who should grace the screen but William Shatner, in all his over-the-top glory, starring as Captain Kirk. From that moment on, “Sesame Street” was a thing of the past.

Wanting to maintain a strong local identity in our kids’ soccer programs is admirable but quaint and unrealistic. The Stingers does a fine job of coaching and training up until the age of 12, but it desperately needs to merge with a bigger club with greater resources to produce more of the potentially outstanding players who will move on to Evergreen High, Mullen, Colorado Academy or Conifer varsity teams.

A friend recently shared that her grandfather was a union member, and then she said something that really struck me: “That was back when unions were a good thing.” Her comment speaks to the success of management in its long-lived campaign to create a negative image for unions.

Journalists are captivated by anniversaries, and that’s one of our biggest failings. The tendency, after an arbitrary number of years, is to find morals and endings, to tie up the loose strings of a tragedy and pronounce the community ready to move on.